Graduates shun top entry level industry for education roles

According to the survey of 1,000 UK students and graduates, architecture and engineering is the only other STEM industry to fall within the graduates’ list of top ten career destinations, in a list dominated by vocational careers such law and psychology.

The majority of graduates are blind to this mismatch. Under half (42%) of graduates surveyed say they have researched the entry level job availability in their market, with one in five (21%) admitting they aren’t sure how many entry level roles there are available in their sector. A shocking third (36%) have no idea if their sought after industry is even recruiting for entry level roles at all.

The top industries hiring the most graduate roles in the UK are:

1. Computing and mathematics

2. Finance

3. Architecture and engineering

4. Sales

5. Education, training and library

6. Life, physical and social science

7. Office and administrative support

8. Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media

9. Healthcare

The top industries graduates are hoping to enter following graduation are:

1. Education

2. Business management

3. Computing and mathematics

4. Finance

5. Architecture and engineering

6. Nursing

7. Marketing and PR

8. Psychology

9. Law

Gerard Murnaghan, VP EMEA, Indeed comments, “With Britain facing an annual shortfall of around 40,000 STEM graduates, Indeed’s hiring data demonstrates a potential skills shortage in a key industry where growth and development are needed. Recent research from Indeed reflects this point, indicating that younger generations favour office-based, creative jobs in sales, arts, design, media and education – worrying considering such roles don’t even make the top three hiring industries.

On the flip side, the data demonstrates that more graduates are searching for entry level roles in nursing than are actually hiring (Nursing comes in sixth place in the list of industries graduates are hoping to enter, but Healthcare as a whole comes in ninth place when it comes to industries looking to hire graduates). With a constant stream of news around the lack of nurses in Britain (a recent report revealed that the UK falls short of 24,000 nurses largely due to tougher immigration rules), it begs the question – are Britain’s graduating nurses not up to scratch?

It is concerning to see such a disconnect between industries graduates desire to join verses those actually hiring. As we educate young people of the importance of the STEM subjects – which make up most of the top 5 recruiting industries – it is imperative job seekers see the employment value in it.”